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Attorneys

Gary Gwilliam 
Oakland, California
Shareholder
phone (510) 832-5411
(866) 675-1929
fax (510) 832-1918
email Email Me

Gary Gwilliam is considered one of the best consumer trial attorneys in the state. His reputation and skill in representing seriously injured plaintiffs is well known. He has tried 150 jury cases, of which more than 100 were personal injury cases. He has handled major cases in every area of consumer law, including serious automobile and construction accidents, products liability, medical malpractice, bad faith insurance, civil rights (including police misconduct), wrongful termination and employment discrimination.

His results on behalf of his clients include:

A $6.1 milling jury verdict for a 29-year-old man who suffered quadriplegic injuries when the roof of his Corvette was crushed in a roll-over accident. This was the largest single injury verdict in Contra Costa County history.

A multi-million dollar settlement for 80 plaintiffs in their insurance bad faith suit against their automobile insurance company for failure to pay medical benefits covered by the plaintiffs' policies.

A $5.5 million jury verdict for a 19-year-old man who suffered severe hand injuries caused by a press machine at his place of work. This was the largest hand injury verdict in the United States and the largest single injury verdict in Alameda County history.

A $4 million jury verdict for the family of a man who was killed by police officers when he was threatening suicide. This was the largest police shooting misconduct verdict in Northern California history.

Gary is a former president of the Consumer Attorneys of California and was nominated Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1995 and 1996 by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Gary is also a recipient 2001 of the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award for employment law. A noted lecturer and motivational speaker, he has conducted seminars and workshops around California and the United States for many years. His ethics seminar, "How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life," won him a Consumer Attorneys of California Presidential Award in 1994. He is the author of numerous articles on California consumer law and is frequently called upon to serve as an expert witness on the standard of care for lawyers' conduct.

Areas of Practice:
Personal Injury
Consumer Law
Serious Motor Vehicle and Construction Accidents
Product Liability
Medical Malpractice
Bad Faith Insurance
Civil Rights (Including Police Misconduct)
Wrongful Termination and Employment Discrimination
Premises Liability
Civil Rights and Discrimination
Litigation Percentage:
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Certification/Specialties:
Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1982


Product Liability, Personal Injury, Professional Negligence, Consumer Attorneys of California


Bar Admissions:
California, 1963
Education:
University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California, 1962
LL.B.
Honors: Phi Delta Phi
Honors: Member, Boalt Hall Moot Court Board, (1961-1962)
Honors: Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, (1995-1996)


Pomona College, Pomona, California, USA, 1959
B.A.
Major:  Psychology


Published Works:
Trial By Fear


Lessons from Losing, San Francisco Daily Journal, Verdicts and Settlements Section, Winter, 1999


Are Trial Lawyers Becoming Extinct? A Look at Civil Litigation in the Next Millennium, American Board of Trial Advocates, Voir Dire, Winter, 1999


An Historical Perspective of Consumer Attorneys of California and Me, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, December, 1999


Scott Morris v. Weibel Wineries, Inc. - From Client to Friend, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine, February/March, 2000


Peak Performance in Litigation Through Relaxation Techniques, Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company, 1999-2000


Techniques for Arguing Damages to a Jury, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine (ATLA), April, 1999


The Art of Losing, American Board of Trial Advocates, ATLA, November, 1998


The Art of Losing, Trial Magazine (under Reflections), May, 1998


The Art of Losing, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, March, 1999


How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life (The Soul of a Trial Lawyer), American Board of Trial Advocates, Voire Dire Vol. IV, Issue 4, Fall, 1997


How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life (The Soul of a Trial Lawyer), Institute of Noetic Sciences, Connections Magazine, No. 6, January, 1999


Go Easy on Yourself, American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Magazine (ATLA) Page 84, November, 1998


In Memory of Bob Beloud, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum, March, 1998


A Practical Presentation of the Use of Jury Consultants in Trial Preparation In Trial, (With Karen Jo Koonan), Consumer Attorneys of California, 36th Annual Convention Syllabus, 1997


How to Argue a Hand Injury Case, Consumer Attorneys of California, 35th Annual Convention Syllabus, 1996


CSAA Made to Pay, Verdict, Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, June, 1995


CSAA Made to Pay, Consumer Attorneys of California, Forum Magazine, 1995


Holistic View of Witness Creditability, National Employment Lawyers Association, June, 1995


Punitive Damages in Wrongful Termination Cases, California Trial Lawyers Association, 29th Annual Tahoe Seminar Syllabus, April, 1994


Ethics-How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life, California Trial Lawyers Association, 27th & 28th Annual Tahoe Seminars Syllabuses, 1992 and 1993


Alternative Dispute Resolution, Fiji Law Society Syllabus, July, 1993


Arguing Damages: Turning Emotion Into Money, California Trial Lawyers Association Syllabus, December, 1991


Power Anticipation, Trial Excellence, Vol. 2, No. 6, June, 1990


Power Anticipation, Republished in Top Courtroom Performance


How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life, California Trial Lawyers Association, Forum Vol. 20, No. 7, September, 1990


Power Anticipation, (Forward to Book by James Scott Bell), Compendium Press, Woodland Hills California, 1994


Proposition 51: The Effect of the Abolition of Joint and Several Liability, California Trial Lawyers Association Forum, Vol. XVI, No. 3, April, 1986


Dental Malpractice, Who Cares? (Fundamentals of Dental Practice), California Trial Lawyers Association Forum, Vol. XV, No. 3, April, 1985


Liens for Medical Expenses in Personal Injury Actions, California Continuing Education of the Bar Program Material, March/April, 1980


Personal Injury Liens for Medical Expenses, California Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. L6, #2, 1977


Commitment to Justice, The History of the Consumer Attorneys of California, (Editor and Interviewee), 1999


Representative Clients:
Representing Plaintiffs in Every Aspect of Civil Litigation
Classes/Seminars Taught:
Stress Management, (How to Get a Winning Verdict in Your Personal Life), PLI, 2000 - 2002


Faculty Member, Hastings College of Trial Advocacy, 1981


Honors and Awards:
Consumer Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) for Employment, 2002


Trial Lawyer of the Year, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, 1995 - 1996


California Lawyer Attorney of the Year for Employment Law, 2001


Consumer Attorneys of California Presidential Award, 1994


Professional Associations and Memberships:
Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), 1988
President


Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), 1987
President-Elect


Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), 1986
Parliamentarian


Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), 1983 - Present
Member, Board of Governors


California Trial Lawyers Association, 1986
Chairman, Political Action Committee


Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, 1974 - 1975
President


Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association, 1970 - Present
Member, Board of Governors


Alameda County Lawyers Club (Lawyer of the year), 1985 - 1986
Member


American Arbitration Association
Member, Panel of Arbitrators


American Bar Association
Member


American Board of Trial Advocates, 1976
Diplomat


American Association for Justice


National Board of Trial Advocacy


National Employment Lawyers Association


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 1996 - Present
Member, Board of Directors


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 1999
Executive Committee


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 2000
Secretary


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 2002
Vice President


The State Bar of California
Member


Consumer Attorneys of California (Formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), 1990 - 1994
Chairman, Long Range Planning Committee


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 2001
Treasurer


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 2002 - 2003
President-Elect


Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Board, 2003 - 2004
President


Past Employment Positions:
Nichols, Williams, Morgan & Digardi, Partner, 1966 - 1978


District Attorney's Office, Ventura County, CA, Chief Trial Deputy, 1962 - 1966


Pro Bono Activities:
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Fraternities/Sororities:
Phi Delta Phi
Kappa Delta